Interlocking-unit construction



May 6,1930. p, B TZ ER 1,757,763

INTERLOCKING UNIT CONSTRUCTION Filed June 2'7, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Paul BeZz er BY I Z s f ATTORNEY y 1930. P. BETZLER INTERLOCKING UNITCONSTRUCTION Filed June 27, 1929 '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Paul Bgtzler. BY 1 ATTORNEY May 6, 1930.

P. BETZLER INTERLOCKING UNIT CONSTRUCTION Filed June 27, 1929' 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR aul Betz Zer.

BY W 414 ATTORNEY case may be.

l atented May 6,

I PAUL nnrznna or monsomnnw roan NrERLooKme-Uiirr oousrnuc'rionApplication filed June 27,

' This invention relates to building constructherefrom, one of saidfianges being in the form of a rib and the other one having a. hookformed section adapted to interlock with the rib of an adjoining unit soas to form therewith a beam or column member as the Another object is toprovide a building unit or slab of the character specified made ofpreferably reinforced cementitious material,

: ing unit or slabembodying my invention;

said unit being cast with openings through said rib and beam or columnmember, per mitting the insertion ofbinding bars connecting adjoiningunits together.

A further object is to provide a building unit or slab of the characterspecified-provided with means such as a furring strip forming afoundation o-ntowhich lathing or building boards or other similarmaterials may be easily secured. 1

'A still further object is to provide a construction composed of aplurality of elements or units preferably formed of reinforced concreteor other cementitious material, said units being interlocking with oneanother and being held together to form a complete structure by meansofsuitable reinforcing and: binding "elements cooperating therewith. 9

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fullyappear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed inthe appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a viewin perspective of a build- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary viewin perspective partly sectioned of a corner of a building in whichbuilding slabs of the type shown in Fig. 1 are employed for theconstruction of its walls; i

of the same type.

1929. Serial in, 373,966.

Fig. 3'is a fragmentary elevation of one of the walls of said building;a Y V Fig. 4 aplan sectional View thereof;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the'same'; and

. c) Fig. 6 is a partial view iniperspective of a floor formed of aplurality of building units In the construction of buildings of various"descriptions, it is desirable ,to reduce, the costof labor as well asthe weight of the various structuresLwithout however, impairing theirstability or strength.

Q The building slab or unit to which this in vention moreparticularlyrefers is, of an extremely light weight and by virute of its peculiardesign makes it'possible to build wallsor floors of great strength withthe eX- penditure of a comparatively'limited amount of labor.' I g g V 1Referring to Fig. 1, it will be observed that body 10 havingone-of-itslongitudinal edges 11 bent inwardlypreferably-at right angleto said body to form a rib 12. The other longitudinal edge 13 isya'lsobentinwardly as shown at 1 1 then laterally as shown at 15 and thenoutwardly as shown'at 16, so "as to form a hook sectionedimember whichin use will constituteapartlofa column or beam according to whether theslab is used for the construction ofa wall or a floor. The free v edge17 of outer wall 16 of the beam orcolumn member is spaced a distance a,fromthe plane of theouter surface of the web body, thev distance a,substantially corresponding to the thickness of said web body.The'dist'ance b between theplane of the outer surface of the webv bodyand the bottom 18 of thegroove 19. formed by the three walls of thecolumn .or beam member is substantially equivalent to or slightlygreater than the width b of rib 12. i c

As. a result offthis construction, the rib portion ofoneunit may beinserted, within the groove formed by the. column or beam member of anad o1nmg un t so as to interlock therewith. p I Rib. 12 and groove 19are preferably so shaped that the ribof one unit may be in- I myimprovedslab'orunit comprises a web.

serted within the grooveof an adjoining unit in a transverse directionto the plane of web body 10, in order to facilitate and speed upbuilding operations.

A wall can thus be built asshown in Figs. 3, 4, Comprising a pluralityof interlocking units 20, 21, etc., the outer surfaces of their webbodies 20, 21, forming a; continuous surface which is the outer surfaceof the wall.

Horizontal binding bars such as 22 can be inserted as the workprogresses alongside.

the inner surface of the wall through perforations 23, 24, 23', 24'provided through ribs 12 and walls 14, 16 '0f the column or beam membersas shown in Fig. 1.

Interlocking slabs or units of the type just described can be made ofsheet metal if desired, but for the majority of purposes, I prefer tomake them out of plastic composi tions which may be selected accordingto the use for which the slabs or units are intended. For instance forthe construction of light partition walls the slabs can be made in theform of plaster boards while for the construc tion of outer and mainwalls,.they are preferably made of reinforced concrete as'shown in Fig.4. r

In this case, each slab or unit is provided with reinforcing members, iwhich may be suitably placed longitudinal bars 25, 26, etc, connected bytransve'rsal wire or screen members 27. Openings 23, 24, 23", 24, can bepre-' cast in the slabs,-as will be understood.

WVhenthe slabs are madeoutof cementitious materials or other plasticcompositions the-groove 19 of each column member is made somewhat widerand deeperthan rib 12 so as to leave a small clearance space suchasindi-L cated at 28 in Fig. 4 between their adjoining surfaces.

This clearance space permits the insertion of mortar or cement whichwill form a strong and positively waterproof. binding between adjoiningunits. The slabs are preferably made sufficiently long to extend fromfloor to floor. The foundation wall 29 shown in Fig. 2 preferably hasits upper. surface formed with ahorizontal groove 30 running all alongthe wall, the width of said groove substantially corresponding to thedistance between the outer surface of the slab and the inner surface ofthe column members.

Afterthe wall of the first floor has been built and binding bars 10 havebeen placed in position as shown in Fig. 2, a suitable frame work isplaced in position so as to cast horizontal beam members 31 runningbetween adjoining column members at the upper end of the slabs. 7

After this is done the construction of the next story can be started,the slabs composing the upper Wall being anchored or positioned at thebase in any suitable manner.

No definite rules can be given as to the manner of inter-connecting theelements composing the various floors, because the procedure to befollowed in these operations is to be determined by the architectaccording to the type of construction to be produced.

For instance, if the building has a steel frame the slabs will beattached to the frame and the slabs of one story need not'be interconnected with the slabs of an adjoining story. 7 a I When windows haveto be provided as shown at 32 in Figsh3 and 4, wider than the width of aslab, the wall underneath the window sill may be formed by cutting theslab or slabs soas to support the window sill 33 at the properdistancefrom the floor, while the window enclosure; may be completed at the topby providing a "horizontal member 34 extending between the two columnmembers between which thewindow is inserted.

A corner formed by two walls constructed" in the manner described ispreferably-completed by means of a special slab or unit such I as shownat 35 in Figs. 2 and 4; the two end slabs of36, 37 of the 'twoiwalls aremade to abut at right angle to each other along the outer corner edgesof their respective column members I The corner unit orslab 35 comprisestwo web sections38,-39 at right angle to each other, and-two ribsections 40, 41 bent in wardly at right angle thereto from the edgesthereof, said rib sections being adapted to interlock with'the columnmembers ofslabs A vertical square chamber 42 will therefore be formed bythe outer surfaces of the two column members and by the inner surfacesof web sections 38, 39. Said chamber is 7 preferably filled withconcrete as the building progresses as shown at'43, forming a solidcorner column which is preferably reinforced all through by a verticalreinforcing member 44. a I

(Vhen the slabs are made of reinforced con-- crete or other'cementitiousmaterial the outer, surface of t is web body is preferablypro vi ded with means such as a furring strip 45 adapted to 'form afoundation onto which lathing or composition boards or like materialscan be easily nailed as shown at 46. The slab is preferably built inunitform with the furring strip which may be anchored within the concrete inany suitable manner.-

It is also possible, of course, when pouring the concrete to form theupper wall beam 47 shown in Fig. 5, to insert anchoring bolts 48 whichwill project upwardly therefrom, providing means for securing a woodenstrip 49 onto which the roof rafters 50 can be secured in any suitablemanner. I

.The building units or slabs constructed according to my invention canalso be used for building floors, as shown in Fig. 6, where 51designates a floor composed of a plurality ofinterlocking units 52, 53,54, etc, horizontally able that they arranged, the web portions of saidslats form-[ ing the floor foundation proper. and the interlockingmembers forming the beams. V

Said beams are preferablyfprovided with furring strips 55 onto whichlathing or composition boards 56' can be attached;

vary from those shown without departing from the inventive idea; thedrawings will therefore be understood as being intended for illustrativepurposes only and not in a'limitingsense. Accordingly, I reserve theright to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and mannerswhich'may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appendedclaims,

I claim: i i

1. A building unit of the character speci-' fied, including a web bodyhaving one of its longitudinal edges inwardly bent at an angle 7 to thesurface of said body, to form a ribin tegral therewith, and having itsother longitudinal edge bent inwardly, laterally and outwardly to form ahook sectioned beam or column member, the groove formed by the looksection thereof being wide enough to permlt the insertion of a ribsimilar to that integral with the opposite edge of said unit,

in a direction transversal of said web body.

2. A building unit of the character specified, including a web bodyhaving one of its longitudinal edges inwardly bent at an angle to thesurface of said body, to form a rib integral therewith, and having itsother lon gitudinal edge bent inwardly, laterally and outwardly to forma hook sectionedbeam or column member, the grooveformed by the hooksection thereof being wide enough to permit the insertion of a ribsimilar to that integral with the opposite edge of said unit, in adirection transversal of the surface of said web body, the outwardlydirected portion of said member having its free edge spaced from theplane of the outer surface the surface of of said web body a distancesubstantially corresponding to the thickness of said web body,

' gitudinal edge bent inwardly, laterally and outwardly to form a hooksectioned beam or column member adapted to interlock with the rib memberof an adjoining similar unit, said rib and member being provided withcolumn member the. groove formed bythe hooksection thereof being wideenough to permit the insertion of? arrib similar to that integral withthe opposite edgeof said unit,

said web body, said rib and 7 member being provided with; alignedopenings; permitting the insertionof binding bars therethrough.

5. A construction of the character described, comprising aplurality ofunits,eachunit including a web body having one of its ,longitudinaledges inwardly bent at an angle to" the surface of said body, to form arib integral therewith, and having itsother longitudinal edge bentinwardly, laterally and outwardly to form-a hook sectioned beam orcolumn member, the rib of. one unit being insertable within the grooveformed within the beam or. column member of an adjoining unit, so astoxform aninterlocking joint therewith, andbinding bars running throughsaid interlockingribsand members, along a direction'parallel totheoutersurface formed by the web bodies of said units. V

6. In a construction of the character described, a corner-comprising twounits arranged at right angle to each other, each unit including a webbody having one of its longitudinal edges bent at right angle inward ly,laterally and outwardly so as to forma hook sectioned column -member,the outer corner edge of one of said column members abutting against theouter corner edge of the in a directiontransversal of the'surface ofother, and a corner lOCkingmember comprising a web body portion having aright angled section, and a rib inwardly bent at right angle to thesurface of said body portion at each longitudinal edge thereof, saidribs beinginsertable within, and being adapted to interlock with thecolumn member of the adjoining units.

7. In a construction of the character described, a corner comprising twounits arranged at right angle to each other, each unit including a webbody havingone of its longitudinal edges bent at right angle inwardly,

laterally and outwardly so as to form a hook sectloned column member,the outer corner edge of one of said column members abuttmg j againstthe outer corner edge of the other,

a corner locking member comprising a web body portion having a rightangled section, and a rib inwardly bent at right angle to the surface ofsaid body portion at each longitudinal edge thereof,said ribs beinginsertable within, and being adapted to interlock with the column memberof the adjoining units, and binding bars running through saidinterlocking ribs ,andmembers.

8. Ina construction of the Character described, a cornercomprising twounits arranged at right angle toeach' other, each unit including a webbody having one of its longitudinal edges bent at right angle inwardly,laterally and outwardly so as to form ahook sectioned column member, andouter corner edge of one of said column members abutting against theouter corner edge ofthe other, a corner locking member comprising a webbody portion having a right'angled section,.and a rib inwardly bentatrightangle to the surface ofsaid body portion at each longitudinaledge thereof, said ribs being insertable Within, and being adapted tointerlock with the column member of the-adjoining units, binding barsrunning through said interlocking ribs and members, and a body ofcementitious material fillingthechamber formed by the side surfaces ofsaid "column members and by the inner surfaces of said corner lockingmember.

9. Ina construction of the character de ing joint therewith, -theendunits ofsaid twowalls being arrangedat right angle to each other andhaving the outer corner edges of their respective column membersabutting against each other, acorner locking member comprising a webbody portion having a right scribed, two-wallsat right angle to eachother,

each wallj'icomprising a plurality of units,

each'unitincluding'aweb body having one of its longitudinaledges-inwardly bent at an angle to the surface of said body, to form arib integral therewith, and having its other longitudinal edge bentinwardly, laterally and outwardly to form a hook sectioned columnmember, the rib of one unit being insertable within the groove formedwithin the column member of an adjoining unit, in. a directiontransversal of the surface of said web body, so as to form aninterlocking joint therewith, the end units of said two walls beingarranged atright angle to each other and having the outer corner edgesof their respective column r members abutting against each other, and acorner locking member comprising a web body portion having a rightangled section,and a rib inwardly bent at right angle to the surface ofsaid body portion at each longitudinal edge thereof, said ribs beinginsertaole within, and being adapted to interlock with the column memberof the adjoining units,-

10. In a construction of the character described, two walls; at rightangle to each other, each wall comprising a plurality of units, eachunit including a web body having one of its longitudinal edges inwardlybent at an angle to the surface of said body, to a form a rib integraltherewith, and having its other longitudinal edge bent inwardly, lat- 7erally and outwardly to form a hook sectioned column member, the" rib ofone unit being insertable within the groove formedwithin the columnmember of an adjoining unit, in a direction transversal of the surfaceof said web body, so flStOzfQIlIl an interlock- CERTIFICATE OFCORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,757,763. Granted May 6, 1930, to

PAUL BETZLER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction as follows: In the grant and in the heading to theprinted specification the residence of the patentee is erroneously givenas "Jackson, New York", whereas said residence should have been given as"Jackson Heights, New York"; and that the said Letters Patent should beread with this correction therein that the same may conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of June, A. D. 1930.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

